nandixon
Senior Member
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Interesting article here that may have application to vitamin E supplementation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME):
"In healthy control subjects, the effect of α-tocopherol supplementation on the production of inflammatory cytokines appears to be dependent on an individual's genotype. These genotype-specific differences may help explain some of the discordant results in studies that used vitamin E."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572643/
A related published U.S. patent application is here (METHODS FOR DETERMINING GENE-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL INTERACTIONS):
http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20120064522
The authors found in a study of healthy males that alpha-tocopherol could have either anti-inflammatory OR pro-inflammatory cytokine activity based on a person's genotype. The SNPs used are available through 23andMe testing.
The most important SNP, among those looked at, seems to be glutathione-S-transferase pi, GSTP1 A316G (rs1695 in 23andMe). Persons having the alleles AA or AG had an increase in interleukin-6 (IL-6) upon supplementing alpha-tocopherol while those with GG saw a decrease (see Fig. 3A in the patent app; note that in the text of the app there is a typographical error in multiple places where GG should be AA).
(See here for more on IL-6:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleukin_6)
I found the article while trying to figure out why supplementing with 400iu of alpha-tocopherol (succinate form) worsened my fatigue. This might possibly explain it. To make it easier for others to determine their own status, here are my personal results for the above SNP and two others. Bottom line is - assuming I follow the pattern of the healthy test cases - all of my SNPs would seemingly dictate an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines upon supplementing alpha-tocopherol - which I guess would be a bad thing:
GSTP1 A313G -/- AA (AA) rs1695
(See Fig. 3A for the changes in IL-6 levels for each SNP variant in response to alpha-tocopherol supplementation; Fig. 4A for IL-1)
TNF G(-238)A -/- GG (GG) rs361525
(Fig. 2B for TNF-alpha)
IL10 A(-1082)G +/- CT (TT) rs1800896
(Fig. 2* for TNF-alpha; Fig. 4D for IL-1)
*Figure "2" seems to be missing . . . the text says the "AG" (= CT for 23andMe) and "AA" (= TT) genotypes were associated with an increase in TNF-alpha levels.
I also feel almost as bad supplementing the gamma form of vitamin E. I always thought in either case it might be due to a blood pressure lowering effect. Now I'm not so sure, and am just going to stick to the amount in my multivitamin from now on. On the other hand, it seems people with the GG genotype for GSTP1, and/or the AG for TNF (and/or maybe CC for IL10), for example, might benefit from extra alpha-tocopherol, since those genotypes may have a decrease in their pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.
"In healthy control subjects, the effect of α-tocopherol supplementation on the production of inflammatory cytokines appears to be dependent on an individual's genotype. These genotype-specific differences may help explain some of the discordant results in studies that used vitamin E."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22572643/
A related published U.S. patent application is here (METHODS FOR DETERMINING GENE-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL INTERACTIONS):
http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20120064522
The authors found in a study of healthy males that alpha-tocopherol could have either anti-inflammatory OR pro-inflammatory cytokine activity based on a person's genotype. The SNPs used are available through 23andMe testing.
The most important SNP, among those looked at, seems to be glutathione-S-transferase pi, GSTP1 A316G (rs1695 in 23andMe). Persons having the alleles AA or AG had an increase in interleukin-6 (IL-6) upon supplementing alpha-tocopherol while those with GG saw a decrease (see Fig. 3A in the patent app; note that in the text of the app there is a typographical error in multiple places where GG should be AA).
(See here for more on IL-6:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleukin_6)
I found the article while trying to figure out why supplementing with 400iu of alpha-tocopherol (succinate form) worsened my fatigue. This might possibly explain it. To make it easier for others to determine their own status, here are my personal results for the above SNP and two others. Bottom line is - assuming I follow the pattern of the healthy test cases - all of my SNPs would seemingly dictate an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines upon supplementing alpha-tocopherol - which I guess would be a bad thing:
GSTP1 A313G -/- AA (AA) rs1695
(See Fig. 3A for the changes in IL-6 levels for each SNP variant in response to alpha-tocopherol supplementation; Fig. 4A for IL-1)
TNF G(-238)A -/- GG (GG) rs361525
(Fig. 2B for TNF-alpha)
IL10 A(-1082)G +/- CT (TT) rs1800896
(Fig. 2* for TNF-alpha; Fig. 4D for IL-1)
*Figure "2" seems to be missing . . . the text says the "AG" (= CT for 23andMe) and "AA" (= TT) genotypes were associated with an increase in TNF-alpha levels.
I also feel almost as bad supplementing the gamma form of vitamin E. I always thought in either case it might be due to a blood pressure lowering effect. Now I'm not so sure, and am just going to stick to the amount in my multivitamin from now on. On the other hand, it seems people with the GG genotype for GSTP1, and/or the AG for TNF (and/or maybe CC for IL10), for example, might benefit from extra alpha-tocopherol, since those genotypes may have a decrease in their pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.